Lotion Bar Recipe – Easy to Make with Just 3 Ingredients!

Most homemade lotion recipes involve quite a few ingredients, blenders and more mess than I'd prefer to clean up. In contrast, all you need for these hard lotion bars is three ingredients, one pot, and molds – that's it! You can even use muffin tins if you don't have other molds, since the bars use all natural ingredients.

I love lotion bars! These have been wonderful for my winter dry skin. I used to coat my hands at night with petroleum jelly (before I knew what was in it), because it was the only thing that helped with the dryness. Normal lotion didn't help much at all, plus I don't like the fragrance of most lotions, and many have questionable ingredients. Since I do a lot of dishes and wash my hands frequently, these bars have been a godsend. No more dry skin for me! My only regret is that I didn't try them sooner, since they are so easy to make. The smell is light and pleasant, and they absorb fairly quickly. (Note: I did change my diet a little, too, which can also help with dry skin.)

What is a Hard Lotion Bar?

A hard lotion bar is lotion that is solid at room temperature. They are a wonderful skin care option to heal and protect extremely dry skin, such as hands and heels.

Most start with three ingredients:

Wax – typically bees wax

Butters – my favorite is cocoa butter

Oil – I prefer coconut oil

To this base, you can also add vitamin E for longer shelf and/or essential oils for fragrance and healing properties. If you enjoy working with herbs, you can infuse herbs into oil and then make the lotion bar with the infused oil.

How Do You Use a Lotion Bar?

Using a homemade lotion bar is easy. Simply hold the bar in your hands to allow your body heat to warm and soften the bar. (If your hands are cold, you may need to rub enough to create a little friction.) Rub the bar directly on the desired area, or rub the bar on your hands and use your hands to apply the lotion to other parts of your body.

In the video below, I demonstrate how to make the lotion bars and how to use them. (If you don't see a video, make sure you have ad blockers turned off.)

Easy Lotion Bar Recipe

For instance, 2 ounces of each ingredient. If using liquid oil, you can measure by volume. For instance, 2 ounces of olive oil to 2 ounces by weight each of cocoa butter and beeswax.

If you don’t have a scale, you can measure by volume, such as one cup cocoa butter, one cup coconut oil and one cup beeswax. This will make a softer bar. For a firmer bar, use one cup butter, a half cup oil and a cup of wax (or similar proportions).

Instructions

Place butter, oil and wax in a heavy bottom pot or double boiler. You may also use an Instant Pot on the “keep warm” setting. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one by placing a glass bowl or wide mouth Mason jar in a small saucepan of water.

Add essential oils of choice after lotion bar mix is removed from heat, before pouring into molds.

Start with around 10 drops per 12 ounces of bar. Remember, with essential oils, a small amount goes a long way. If you’re using cocoa butter, keep in mind how the EO you choose will pair with the scent of chocolate. Mint and orange essential oils are popular pairings with cocoa butter.

You may also make your bars with herb infused oils, such as plantain oil, which is great for skin issues, or dandelion oil, which is wonderful for muscle aches.

How to Make Lotion Bars – Step by Step

It’s helpful to start with small pieces or shavings of solid ingredients so they melt quicker.

Here's a shot of all the ingredients as they begin to melt. In this batch, I used two ounces by weight or volume of each ingredient. I weighed the beeswax and cocoa butter, and used a liquid measure for the oil.

When everything has melted completely, pour the liquid into molds of your choice. If you have lip balm tubes, pour the tubes half full and allow the hard lotion to set up slightly, and then finishing filling the tubes.

I like to set my molds on a baking sheet to keep them level and easy to move around.

12 ounces of product fills one of the pink rectangular bar molds, making six bars. In the photo below I also filled small containers with lids to use as lip balms.

After several hours, the lotion will be firm and hard and should release easily from the mold.

What kind of beeswax do you use for lotion bars?

I like to use unrefined beeswax for my lotion bars and other homemade beauty products. This wax is yellow in color. We buy ours in bulk from a local apiary, and then chop off bits as needed for projects. An easier option to use is beeswax pellets or pastilles. You can also use refined beeswax, which is white in color, but I enjoy the fragrance of the unrefined wax.

You can also use shaped ice cube trays (like hearts or stars), muffin tins or candy molds. Just stick to the basic recipe if you’re using any containers that you plan to reuse for food. (Essential oils can leave a lingering scent and/or flavor in the molds.)

Another option is to pour the “bars” into a salve tin with a lid. You can also use a rectangular bar mold to create a bar that will fit into an Altoid type tin. The tins are also available in sets of 4 with clear lids. I prefer to pour the bars separately and store them in the tin. It's easier to apply the hard lotion if you can hold the bar in your hand. If you use the rectangular bar mold, fill the cavities to about 1/8 inch below the top edge. That way they will fit in the Altoid style tin and the lid will close snugly.

Non Greasy Lotion Bars – Troubleshooting Tips

Sometimes the lotion bars have a greasy or slippery feel, especially in warm weather. Other times the bars may feel a little tacky or sticky. Renee from Made On Hard Lotion says “Greasy lotion bars have too much coconut oil and sticky bars have too much shea/cocao butter.”

If your bars come out too slippery, remelt and add more beeswax and/or cocoa butter. If they are too sticky/tacky, remelt and add more oil. You may also want to experiment with different combinations of oils and butters to see if you like those better. (See below.)

Substituting Ingredients in Your Lotion Bars

When choosing ingredients for your lotion bars, it’s best to work with those that are shelf stable for at least 6 months. Rancid ingredients smell unpleasant, and you don’t want to rub something spoiled on your skin.

Cocoa butter and shea butter both have a shelf life of around 2 years. Mango butter is another butter that is very good for skin care, but it has a slightly shorter shelf. I find the shea butter bars to be a little tackier and take longer to absorb into the skin. They also smell a bit “planty”, not bad, just not as good (to me) as the cocoa butter. Mango butter is also used for homemade lotion bars, but it will make a softer bar.

I normally use virgin coconut oil or olive oil for my homemade lotion bars, but jojoba oil and fractionated coconut oil are also very shelf stable. Lard and tallow can also be used, but you may want to pair them with EOs for fragrance. See The Shelf Life of Oils for a listing of common oil longevity. Note that many cooking oils labeled as “olive oil” are vegetable oil blends with olive oil. For best results, use real olive oil.

Beeswax is my wax of choice. If you need to avoid beeswax, you can substitute Candelilla wax, carnuba wax or soy wax. Candelilla and carnuba amounts = roughly half or less than amount of beeswax. Soy wax can be substituted in equal amounts. Be aware that soy wax is hydrogenated, so it’s not my first choice for skin care.

Packaging Your Lotion Bars

If you make several bars and don't use them right away, keep the extra bars in a sealed container or bag. This will help preserve the lovely chocolate smell or any essential oils you choose to add.

As mentioned above, the bar molds fit neatly into the tins, which is great for gift giving or everyday use. In warm weather, I highly recommend pouring your lotion “bar” into a container with a screw top or other tight fitting lid if you want to carry it around in your purse.

If you regularly apply the hard lotion bar to your heels or over large areas of the body, it might be convenient to pour your lotion bar into a deodorant style container. It makes the bars a little easier to hold.

If multiple family member use the homemade lotion bars, it’s handy to make multiple smaller bars so each person has their own. I learned this from experience when I first starting making lotion bars.

My younger son loved the cocoa smell so much I caught him rubbing the bar all over himself after he got out of the shower – even in his armpits. I had been using the same bar as a lip balm, too…oops… The next time I made a batch, I poured some into smaller containers to use as lip balm, and made my son his own special bar.

You can find these ingredients (and containers and molds) at amazon.com (linked within the post), soaperschoice.com, and many other sites around the web. I do have affiliate accounts with Amazon and MadeOn, so I get a small payment if you purchase through my site. (Thank you!) Keep in mind that two ounces of each ingredient made three bars, so a bulk purchase would make a LOT of bars.

I hope you enjoy this great recipe as much as we do. This one's a keeper in our house! Please pass the post along if you find it helpful, and leave a comment if you have any questions or ideas.

More Natural Products and Tips

Visit the Green Home page for a full listing of non-toxic personal care products, cleaners and pest control.

Comments

hiii really happy to read this. my daughter has an extreme dry skin on her legs and hands. she is 10 years old she feels embarrassed when her friends laugh seeing her hands where the skin looks like aged ones. also she never wear skirts coz it exposes her dry legs. Hope this bar will work on her. Iam statying here in Kuwait and would like to order this product. can you please help me to order this

I buy all my ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. They are local for me, and they are WONDERFUL people! Their products are well priced, and they tell you where they come from, how they are processed and other information that may be useful. They have great essential oils and herbs in many sizes. You get a bulk discount if you order 5 # of herbs….any combination in 1# lots. Great company (no, I’m NOT affiliated with them, but they know me well!)

Another amazing site for all kinds of oils and butters is camden-grey.com, they carry some amazing butters like Lavender butter, Horsetail butter which is very healing, coffee butter which smells like a cup of joe, matcha green tea butter, orange butter which is just like you sliced open an orange and they’re all super smooth and melt well. You can use them as is, or incorporate them into your recipes like lip balm, salves, I even bought an Arnica infused oil for pain control that is wonderful. I put some horsetail butter in a lip pot for my cuticles and when I get a sore area and it clears it right up.

laurie I so want to make these. When I went to the different sites to order the cocoa butter, coconut oil and Bee’s wax I found out there are different kinds etc. Which kinds did you use? Thanks! Peggy

The specific products that I have used or recommend are linked in the post right in the recipe, where it has text like, “Buy Coconut Oil”. I like ordering through Amazon.com because I have amazon prime. More recently I purchased bulk beeswax from a local apiary.

Oh wow, this looks GREAt…and definitely easy enough for me to make at home!!!! Thanks for the easy project recipe!!!! I’ll write this on my list of stuff to do this month…err,…this month in February 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂

I have a one ingredient solid lotion recipe I keep in the fridge in a mason jar. Grassfed beef tallow! It smells a little meaty when you first put it on, but it soaks right in and soothes my hands like nothing else in the world. I rendered it myself from fat I bought from a local rancher who I trust. Seriously, I don’t think you could beat it with anything.

Michelle – as long as you’re using everything edible (well, you could eat the wax, but it wouldn’t be tasty), I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t use a regular kitchen pot. If you start adding essential oils they might leave an “off” flavor, but with stainless steel pots and therapeutic grade oils, even that should be okay. My goal is to get everything I put on my skin to be safe enough to eat. 🙂

Thanks for the kind words about the blog. I’m still learning WordPress, so it’ll keep changing slowly, but I want to keep it easy to use.

No problem, Sarah. You use them like you would a normal lotion or cream for dry skin. While the bars are firm at normal room temps (for most people – low to mid 70’s or cooler), they soften at body temperature. To use a lotion bar, you simply rub it over the area of dry skin you want to apply it to, or rub the bar with your hands to coat your hands, and then use your hands to apply to the desired area. The warmth of your body softens the bar. The natural oils absorb within minutes, leaving the skin soft and supple, and the wax protects the skin and firms up the bar. Good quality ingredients also nourish the skin and promote healing, as opposed to many synthetic formulas that clog the pores and/or make your skin more dependent on the product. One of my goals this year is to try and keep everything I put on my skin safe enough to eat, as the skin is very absorbent (think trans-dermal medications).

Thank you for your answers! I completely agree about the funny ingredients in lotions. I have been looking into things I can make myself so I’m not spending a fortune! Much of what I have found comes from the kitchen. Sunflower and coconut oil etc. I have enough skin issues especially in the winter without adding alcohol type ingredients. Some of them are preservatives so it doesn’t go bad but they make dryness and irritation worse. I am probably preaching to the choir on this!

use a canned goods can, if you want to do small batches. just put it in the pot of boiling water with your ingredients! you can even, with some metal cutters, cut a “spout” on the can so it makes it easier to pour!

I am totally going to try this, but I need to buy some cocoa or shea butter first. 🙂 I imagine it might be similar to what I do when my skin gets super industrial dried out – I have a tin of burt’s bees lip balm and instead of putting it on my lips, I put it on my hands. It feels great!

I had to tell you that I made these and they are *awesome*. My son developed a really strange rash-like dry scaly skin on his hands. It turned out to be a virus so it had to run its course but these lotion bars helped relieve the burning and itching he was experiencing. Thank you for that.

I use cold-pressed coconut oil directly on my face after washing it. It has antibacterial properties and it never clogs my pores. I use Made-On hard lotion on my hands, elbows, feet, etc. Just like the recipe above.

I recently bought lotion bars while traveling and love them they are made by Habersham Candle Company. The oil in these is soy bean. They don’t sell directly to the public so I will have to find another retail location or learn how to make my own. A couple of guys my husband works with are bee keepers and supply me with the most wonderful raw honey. My husband is considering joining them. I wonder if I could get some wax from them and what I would have to do to “clean” it?

Hello, I just came across your blog and this wonderful idea of making your own lotion bars. I made the recipe and used the bar last night. While I liked the way my skin felt, by the morning it was smelling of rancid oil. I used extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, coconut butter and beeswax, and I did heat the mixture very gently in a double boiler. What went wrong? Thank you. Nata

Can these be tinted? I do melt and pour soap crafting and am making soaps for favors for a baby shower. I would like to make these lotion bars as part of the favors but would like to tint them to “match” the soaps. Could I do that or would that leave a residue of color on the user? Let me know what you think, please, or if anyone else has tried it, how did it work out?

zeliasgrand – Do you have time to do a small test batch? That would probably be the best way to tell if you get the effect you want. I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work and not tint as long as you didn’t use too much coloring.

This looks wonderful! I did want to mention.. there are tons of Etsy sellers selling raw beeswax that would be amazing for this project.. and much cheaper than the granules that Frontier sells! It’s always nice to buy from an individual 🙂

Hi, just wanted to say thankyou so much for this recipe. I used heart and straberry shaped ice cube trays and made them with sweet almond oil and the results are amazing. My husband has diabeties and gets really dry skin on his feet, we have tried all sorts, but by the end of the day his feet were dry and cracking, however your recipe keeps his feet fine all day. So no more worrying 🙂 . thx again for sharing.

I have been using solid lotion bars for around six months now. I use bees wax (I’m very close to an amazing local bee supplier), coconut oil, grapeseed and apricot oils, vitamin E. (vit e is a mild preservative, too) I have chronic severe eczema….. And my dermatologist is stunned. Steroid creams, chemicals, oral meds…. All failed to heal my itchy, scaly, bumpy, flaky skin… I always itched. Now I’m growing healthy, pink, pretty skin! I just changed lotions from the expensive chemical laden stuff, to my kitchen magic bar :). And by adding less grapeseed oil, and a bit of castor oil, I made lip balm. LOVE it! I’m loving your blog! Thanks for posting such amazing things 🙂

Thanks, Monica, for sharing your story. I’ll bet that part of the “magic” of the lotion bars is that the essential fatty acids in the good quality oils are absorbed by the skin, provided needed nutrients.

Hi Laurie. I was reading your blog and wondered if among your many wonderful interests you know about the importance of feeding our kids organic foods and what is going on with our food supply and Monsanto…they are genetically engineering our food and many people don’t know this! Just wondering if you are aware, it just seems like you would be, but just in case!

Hi! I’ve been making these bars from your recipe and love them! But last night I made a batch and they are too hard. Like too much beeswax but I made them the same way I always do and I measure very carefully. Has this ever happened to you? I’m not sure how to fix it except to fiddle with more oil. Thanks!

Hello, I made these lotion bars for Christmas gifts. I used 1 part beeswax, 1 part 100% cacao butter, 1 part coconut oil. My bars are a tad bit sticky when first applied. They do soak in eventually but am wondering if I can do something to avoid the stickiness. Can I melt them down again? Also should I add more beeswax or oil? Or maybe butter? I want them close to perfect, please help? I have used them for only a day and can already feel a difference .I would hate for my family to not use them because there sticky. Cuz they will be missing out. Thanks .

I’d like to make these for my sister, but she’s vegan and therefore won’t be able to use them because they contain beeswax. Is there any other ingredient I could use in place of beeswax that would work the same?

I have very sensitive skin and have found that formulas with soy or candelilla wax can rash me up. No one has mentioned jojoba or castor oil, which appear in some skin formulas. They both upset my stomach, even when not used in lip balm, I guess because these waxy oils persist and eventually get onto my lips. Maybe a test batch would be a good idea. Some people go vegan due to sensitivities.

Regarding dry, chapped skin, I noticed that while my husband was an Ayurvedic massage technician, his car-repair rough hands were amazingly smooth and soft. Sesame oil was a common ingredient in the custom massage oil formulas he used. Sesame has particularly penetrating and moisturizing properties (among many other benefits), and is said to be able to penetrate the teeth and bones! It was the first oil recommended to me for oil pulling, and was very effective for that as well as for keeping my skin moist on frigid, dry winter days. Be warned that it is so penetrating that it is hard to wash out of clothing and towels! Also that it is very detoxifying for the skin, and should be used for body massage with the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner.

I found an excellent hand cream that I use in deep winter to keep my fingertips from cracking and peeling. It has a little sesame oil in it, and I am pretty sure this is what in this formula is so protective. You might like to try a small amount of refined sesame in a cream or bar that you only apply at bedtime, Laurie. You can find cotton gloves at most pharmacies that will help the cream penetrate and keep it off your sheets and clothes. When I started using that cream, the dry, chapped hands cleared up.

All this oil talk! My skin is much less dry these days, even though I live in a much colder region and am on my third decade of sub-zero winters. I do have a lot more nutritive oil in my diet, and a lot more milk fat from whole milk kefir, butter and cream. Yummy meals and yummy skin stuff is the way to go!

Thanks for sharing your experience, Sandy. You’re lucky to have a husband with such a wide range of skills.

I may be mistaken, but I thought that sesame didn’t have quite the shelf life of olive oil or coconut oil. I do know that it is frequently recommended for oil pulling. I just find the flavor of coconut oil more pleasant. I do notice that when I have more healthy fats in my diet, my skins is better, but with my wonky thyroid I do have more dry skin issues.

Hi, Common Sense Idea! I have never been to your delightful and informative blog before! I am going to be bold here, but I would like to ask you to consider linking-up this post next Wednesday (the 9th), because I would like to feature this post. Also, my thinking is that a lot of what you write about is very helpful and would encourage my readers. I need to make these bars for the same reason you did and I will have it right in front of my face in the link-up 🙂 Have a great New Year!!

I made these today and I’m loving them! I added the scrapings from two vanilla beans to mine instead of the essential oils (local store had nothing but tea tree oil – pew) and they smelled fantastic! I’m a long-time eczema sufferer, too, and these really helped with the constant itching! Thanks for sharing!

I pour my “lotion bars” into stick deodorant containers so it’s easier for me to rub on my feet and legs. I also make some and add vitamin E and arrowroot powder (I’m too sensitive to baking soda or I could use that) and use them for deodorant.

It would really vary dramatically based on the prices of individual ingredients and the size of the bars. I buy everything in bulk, so that keeps the price lower. They aren’t cheap, but they last a really long time. I’ll keep a single bar on my nightstand for several months.

I make solid lotion bars using only cocoa butter and shea butter. I use organic unrefined cocoa and shea butter. Since the cocoa butter is so hard, if I use it at a much higher rate than the shea butter, the bars stay hard and I’ve made a beautiful lotion bar using only 2 ingredients.

for those people who are living in Canada a great place to get molds is the bulk barn and if you have a michaels that is also a great place. if you like to shop second hand try getting them at goodwill or at value village!!! going to make these for gifts for my neighbors some day!!! thanks for sharing this!!!!

I love to make these types of moisturizer bars. I use Coconut Oil (hard type) and I add essential oils to mine .. Vanilla, and Lavender EO’s mixed with Tea Tree EO (germ killing) added to the mixture before putting into the molds will actually make this an anti-biotic type moisturizing bar. My son works in a hospital and he keeps these bars in their employee rest room(s) and his co-workers swear by them. The beeswax actually keeps the moisturizing ingredients on your hands through at least 4-5 washings, which is why they are so liked, and working in a hospital setting, the anti-germ abilities are a huge hit!

I have a question about how to store these for daily use? I am giving them away as Christmas gifts and I like the oval shape but I don’t want to hand them a raw lotion bar. I can’t think of anything to store them in for people to keep in their purse. I don’t like the deodorant stick idea. And ideas?? Thanks.

You could make rectangular bars (rectangle mold link) and put them in an Altoids type tin (link or clear top tins). You could even save Altoids tins and put nice labels on them. Or you could buy round salve tins and simply pour the bar right into the tin. People are more used to using a salve out of a tin, so this may seem more “normal” to some.

Awesome and easy recipe! I just went to an arts and crafts festival today and they were selling lotion bars with a variety of fragrance in them. I wanted to buy one but wasn’t sure if I want to spend that much money on one bar. Now I can make my own! Thank you for the quick and easy recipe! Happy holidays!

just made, had beeswax but was so hard to measure, I did by weight but liquid thinks weighs less, so not sure how these are going to come out. I used shea butter, beeswax and almond oil, someone told me oil clogs your pores. so im worried that I used too much or too little. very hard to cut 1 pound block of beeswax, any suggestions, waiting to cool to use my youngliving oils. Let me know if you have checked out our company and interested in purchasing them. thanks so much have a blessed day!

When carving beeswax off the block, I use a large butcher knife and shave curls off the corner until I get enough. Quality oils should not clog pores. I use coconut oil to clean my face every night, and apply it as a moisturizer. If anything, my face is less prone to breakouts since I switched to oil cleansing.

I have several friends who use Young Living oil and highly recommend them, and I am a doTERRA representative – just not an aggressive sales person. 🙂 I think Mountain Rose Herbs also sells good quality oils, and has no membership requirement to place an order, which is helpful for those just starting with EOs.

The shaped ones I just keep out wherever I’m using them. I did order the pink rectangular silicon molds, and they do fit inside the metal tins (altoids tins), so that is an option for future bar making. The ones I’m not actively using I keep in a ziplock bar.

Yes, any good quality oil will do. I would personally prefer to use a brand that was completely olive based. Many grocery store “light olive oils” are actually olive oil blended with vegetable oils, typically soy, corn or canola, which are genetically modified more often than not. Using a liquid oil like olive or almond will yield a softer bar, using coconut oil will yield a firmer bar.

Thanks for the recipe. The ingredients are good. I want to point out that that you said many lotions have ‘questionable ingredients”, but you were slathering on vaseline petroleum jelly, which is pure garbage itself. Just do a little research. Glad you’re using this now.

OK- one comment & one question… The recipe says equal portions by weight. But, the author used two portions by weight & one by volume. I hope I didn’t screw up too badly because I missed the ‘by weight’ comment & did all of my measurements by volume. Now, my question…shouldn’t cocoa butter have a smell? I bought all of my ingredients at Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies and they have good reviews.

As long as the proportions are roughly correct you should be fine. If you really don’t like the consistency, remelt and add a little more of whatever you need to adjust it. If I’m using an oil that’s solid at room temp like coconut, I use weight, but olive oil is easier to measure by volume. The proportions should end up pretty close either way.

hi, i love the bars ! Thank you for posting the recipe I was wondering if palm oil would be considered an oil or a butter since it is solid at room temp. I just happen to have a ton of it and wanted to incorporate in into this recipe but not sure what to substitute out.

If you want harder bars, you can remelt and add a higher proportion of beeswax. I don’t store or mold mine in the refrigerator.

It should be noted that in very warm areas, the bars will stay softer at room temp. If you live in a warmer area, I highly recommend pouring the mixture into a container and scooping it out for use – like applying a salve.

I made bars last night. ..1pt beeswax, 2pt coconut oil. ..they’re too hard to use. They were in the fridge overnight…could that be the reason? Should I remelt and add a liquid oil like grapeseed (as opposed to the semi solid coconut oil)? If so, how much?

First off, the bars do not need to be refrigerated at all. They will harden at room temp. Coconut oil becomes rock solid in the fridge, so there’s part of your problem right there.

Second, the ingredient options are listed the way they are because that’s how the bars should be made. Each portion serves a purpose. The cocoa butter or shea butter provide an oil that’s firm at room temp; the coconut oil and olive oil are both liquid at warm room temp (75-76F); the beeswax is solid at room temp and acts to seal moisture in the skin. Grapeseed goes rancid fairly quickly, so I wouldn’t use it in these bars. I’d highly recommend some cocoa butter or shea butter and no time in the fridge. Melt and make a double recipe (since you doubled the coconut oil), adding more beeswax and the cocoa or shea butter.

I really want to try out these home made lotion bars and stuff. But unfortunately some of the ingredients are hard to find where I live. Such as – Shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter, avacado oil and such. I though of sesame oil as a substitute for these ingredients? Any substitute for beeswax will also be great.

You could try substituting ingredients, but then it wouldn’t be the same recipe. The only substitutes I can think of for beeswax would be something like soy wax (and I’m not a big fan of soy) and carnuba wax (which is more expensive). I can’t easily find shea butter or cocoa butter around here, either, which is why I order mine online. I did order beeswax online before I found a local source, too, and I usually order my coconut oil online in bulk. I have links in the post to the products I use and recommend where it says “Buy Cocoa Butter”, etc.

Your son is right on using the lotion bar for his pits. Coconut oil is a great odor deterrent! I use it myself and haven’t use deodorant since I started. But then…I don’t work and barely ever work up a sweat so not sure how well it would work on an active child/adult. When I was working, I worked in nursing and would work up quite a sweat running up and down hallways all day long. Not sure how well it would work in those conditions.

I made the bar with coconut oil from the jar (hard) and bees wax it wont get hard . I melted it and added more bees wax, they are still soft. I have cut the bees wax up in small pieces. I I put them in measuring cups 1/2 cup for each . Is that wrong?

Measuring by weight may work a little better, but by volume should be close. Did you include shea butter or cocoa butter? I noticed you only mentioned the coconut oil and beeswax. The butters help the bars to set up.

I just made up a batch, and you are right, the kid wanted to eat it! I used cocoa butter, coconut oil, and beeswax. Going on it feels rather greasy, but soaks in over time. I wonder if using a more liquid oil, like olive, would reduce this or make it more greasy? Also, can grapeseed oil be used? Also, I am experimenting with adding raw honey. So far, it doesn’t seem to incorporate well. Any thoughts?

I didn’t notice a huge difference in absorption rates between olive oil and coconut oil. Grapeseed oil is very high in omega 6 fatty acids and oxidizes rapidly at room temp, so I don’t personally use it very much. To use honey, you’d probably need to add only a tiny bit, or experiment with some sort of emulsifier, but that could have other effects on the bars.

Any recommendations as to how to get lotion bars to release, intact, from plastic soap/candy molds? I have some cute bee-shapes but the shaped part remained in the bottom of the mold. I let them harden about 18 hours. Is it simply a matter of letting them harden longer? Do you stick the mold in the freezer for a bit before gently the product from the mold? Any recommendations would be appreciated. 🙂

I didn’t do anything special to get mine out, just let them harden on the counter overnight. Cocoa butter will be less sticky than shea butter, so using cocoa butter may work better for detailed molds. It wouldn’t hurt anything to try the freezer, too, to make sure they’re completely set (but they will get more brittle when cold).

I’m excited to try out these bars! Do they get soft and melty in hot weather? I always have a jar of coconut oil around for dry skin and it turns liquid in the summer. Just wondering if the other ingredients will keep it solid?

The bars will get softer in warmer weather. I haven’t had any melt entirely, but we keep the house air conditioned below 80 degrees. If you place gets hotter than that, using the tins or pouring them into containers would be safer.

Hi Laurie, I want to make these as favors for my daughters bridal shower. I tried it for the first time yesterday and they were really melty(is that a word?) I think is the coconut oil, should I try a different type, I know there is one that melts at higher temp?

What’s your room temp? I assume you mean the bars are very soft? As far as I know, there’s not much variation of melt temps on coconut oil, although refined coconut oil is often used for cooking because it doesn’t impart a coconut flavor to the dish.

If you want a firmer bar, I’d remelt and add a little more beeswax and/or cocoa butter. The shea butter will give a bar that’s more tacky to the touch.

I’ve always done it by weight (mainly because the beeswax doesn’t pack neatly into a measure), but you could try equal part by volume, let it sit in the pan to harden and check the texture, and adjust if needed before melting and pouring into molds.

yes I contacted but they don’t ship to Kuwait. feeling sad for my daughter. she is 9 yrs old and has an extreme dry skin on her hands and legs. she always feel embarrassed when people stare at her dry skin. I thought this bar will help her. But now no idea what to do.

Have you tried changing her diet, too? I’m guessing the air is very dry there, but often dietary changes can affect the skin in a positive way. She may have a sensitivity to one or more things that she’s eating that make her skin worse. I identify the top allergens and the diet I used to heal my skin in this post – https://commonsensehome.com/anti-candida-anti-psoriasis-diet/

I’d probably try some more beeswax. It should be noted that when it is very warm (80+F) these bars will want to stay soft and are best poured into a container. They have to stay soft at higher temps so they melt when you rub them on your skin.

I am using the Altoid tin rectangular mold. I think you stated that 12 ounces of product would fill one of the rectangular bar molds. So, the recipe for this amount would be 4 ounces each of shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax – is that correct? And if I wanted to add a fragrance for this amount of product, do you know how much essential oil I would add?

In case of a beeswax allergy, do you think that candellila wax would work? I love the idea of a limited ingredient lotion bar, but I break out in a rash from beeswax based products, even those that are completely natural and limited ingredients.

I found your recipe and want to make the bars, but I have one question first. Roughly how long does it take to melt all the ingredients together? I’ve heard it can take forever to melt beeswax and figured I’d come to an expert to get a straight answer. 🙂

Can I use soy wax as an alternative for beeswax? Can I use arrowroot powder and if so how much? And how much eo/fo do I use and Vitamin E? I want to make approx. 40 ounces of total product. Thank you for your time…

You should be able to use soy wax, but it may give a slightly softer and more tacky product than the beeswax. I have no idea about the arrowroot powder, and don’t understand why you wish to add it. With essential oils or fragrance oils, I’d start with just a few drops and see how you like the results. A little goes a long way. If you want to use vitamin E, I’d probably only use one capsule per roughly 4 ounces of product.

Hi made som lotion bars today using a different recipe – equal parts shea butter, cocao butter and beeswax, however the bar is very greasy and my hands feel sticky after use. Any way to remelt and remedy it for a better result?

I’ve only used the recipe that I recommend, so I’m guessing on this, but you might try remelting and adding some coconut oil or olive oil. Shea butter and cocoa butter are both quite firm at room temp, and shea butter will finish a little bit tacky (even in my recipe), so the recipe you used is an odd combination of ingredients. I’d probably start 2 parts of your bars to 1 part oil and see if it helps, trying a small sample first before you try to remake a larger batch. For instance, 2/3 cup of your bar liquid, plus 1/3 cup oil.

Hi Laurie I made these today with just a slight variation. I used 2oz. each of coconut oil and beeswax. and 1oz each of the cocoa butter and shea butter. The result is very greasy. Could I remelt them and add more beeswax? Would that make them less greasy and if so, how much more beeswax should I add?

I’m not sure what you mean by “greasy”, or how greasy it might be.The shea butter gives the bars a more sticky/tacky feeling than the cocoa butter. If the bars are too soft, you could try adding an extra tablespoon of beeswax and see if you like the feel better. Coconut oil turns to liquid around 75-76 F, so if it’s warm where you are, the bars will need refrigeration or they should be poured into a container and used more like a balm.

You didn’t put it in the refrigerator or freezer, did you? That will make it too cold to melt easily. Cool indoor winter temps will also make the bars firmer. If you wanted to remelt and try for a softer product, I’d add more oil that is liquid at room temperature. (Coconut oil has a melting point of around 75-76F, so will also remain quite firm at cool room temps.)

Oh – I wouldn’t recommend it for extended use on the face, as the beeswax may clog your pores.

I just found your site through Pintrest. I am so happy I did. Looking forward to the home made tips and all. My daughter and I are looking forward to making natural chemical-free items for our own use. Thank you for sharing.

I have made these, also adding essential oils. I am making some with essential oils to repel mosquitoes today, and have made some with added zinc oxide to provide sunscreen. We have several redheads in our family, as well as brunettes that burn as easily and more easily than some redheads. It really worked!!

Hello! I apologize for not understanding the measurements of each ingredient. I understand 2oz. by weight for the solids, but what is the proper amount (by volume) of the liquid oil? I have all my ingredients and am ready to go! Thanks for posting what looks to be a great recipe.

Simple, easy recipe. I look forward to trying it. I wonder have you ever tried making a hard lotion bar with goat milk as an ingredient? I would love to try this, but a little worried it would spoil quickly.

I think it would have been helpful to state the amount of each product used—the other sight wasn’t very helpful either…but if you are using equal parts, she used 6 oz. of each butter and 1 oz. oil, and didn’t mention using wax. Clarification would be helpful—at least to me…Looks like others didn’t have an issue

As long as it doesn’t smell rancid, it’s probably fine. It sounds like the oil just separated a bit, because you added extra oil. If it’s soft enough that it can be mixed in the container, just blend the excess oil back in. If not, mix a little as you use the container.

“Both come from Africa. The African Butter grows in the low lands close to rivers, and it often called River Butter. Shea Butter, on the other hand, grows in the highlands where it’s high and dry. One of the most important differences between the two is healing fraction (bioactive). In Shea butter the healing faction (bioactive) can be 300 to 400 times larger than the healing fraction in river butter.”

Can’t wait to make these! I’ve made some before, but the recipe didn’t use Shea or Cocoa butter. I forgot what was used because I didn’t like them and have been trying to find one using a butter. I feel like this would help my skin better since the first one didn’t really help during the winter. I make a trauma oil made from olive oil, jojoba, and fractionated coconut oil infused separately with Calendula, St. John’s Wort, and Arnica. I have been using this oil since the first bars did not work for me. I really like the idea of bars since it would be easier to use as an all over bar after my bath or shower and will use my trauma oil in place of the oil in this recipe. Thank you for posting this!

Be careful with the St. John’s Wort, as it can sometimes make skin photosensitive. I haven’t used it extensively, so I don’t know at what concentration this would be an issue, but I didn’t want you to cover yourself in lotion bar and then go outside in shorts and find out you have a reaction.

We made these last night using coconut oil, cocoa butter, & carnuba wax. They seemed to melt up, pour, & set well. We put them into bar molds so we could use the altoid style tins. After putting in the tins we stored them in the fridge, but the molds we used were left out. We noticed in the morning that the pieces in the mold were melted. We’re a bit nervous to use them now because we don’t want them to melt & leak in a pocket or purse. Could it just be because the pieces were so small that they melted so easy?

Mine became Oil Bars…not lotion like at all (and frankly, as I was measuring up the coconut oil, my gut was trying to tell me not to use so much, but I always try at least to go by the book for the first round of something new). They smell nice (I made 3 lavender and 3 pear), but they’re so oily that I’m afraid to touch anything until I wipe it off.

I have a health condition that renders my fingertips extremely smooth and dry with virtually no “grip” or ability to or work with many things I need to handle. I work in an office and I also sew and knit, so it’s a pretty big problem. I was hoping these lotion bars would be less expensive than buying Sort-Kwik. Next time I’ll back off on using the equal amount of Coconut Oil and reduce it down to not much at all…

How warm is it in your home? Coconut oil becomes liquid at around 75F, so if you’re close to that, that could be part of the issue. The bars in the photo are made as directed, but we live in Wisconsin, so hot weather is not generally an issue.

I made these the other day and I was very pleased with the result. My feet get very dry in the summer time and these bars are the answer to my problem. I made them with shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil and added some essential oil for fragrance. I used the recipe amounts and it worked well. It is not yet summer here in the high desert in California, so these bars may have to live in the fridge for the next few months. Thank you for your recipe.

Hi Laurie, I want to thank you for the Hard Lotion Bar recipe. It was the answer to my prayers. My husband wears support hose and every time I pull them off massive dry flakes of skin go all over the place and my couch looks like it snowed on it. Have tried several lotions and 1 we paid 18.00 dollars for with no relief. Since I’ve been using the bar on his legs no skin. I’m very excited about this. I made my second batch yesterday. I do have one question. Have you tried it with the Shea butter? It seems it would be a softer bar being Shea butter is softer than the coco butter. Would you need to use a little extra bees wax or not. Let me know what you think. Thank you Linda

I have made the shea butter bars, but prefer the cocoa butter. I found the shea butter is a bit softer, and has a slight tackiness to it. I wouldn’t adjust the amounts, unless you really want a firmer bar.

I haven’t tried it, but you could probably substitute it for the coconut oil. You might need more wax to get it to set up, since non-hydrogenated lard can be quite soft at room temp, or you’d need to keep the bars refrigerated or make a salve instead.

Hi Laurie ~ I made the lotion bars using your recipe last year. I even have the same pink silicone bar mold. The lotion bars turned out perfect. I am a mechanic & I have chemical damage to the skin on my arms from fingertips to elbows. Because of that I have a sensitivity to almost all lotions, even lotions that are marketed as hypoallergenic. Most lotions cause a burning sensation on my skin & cause me to break out into hives, so I was looking for an all natural alternative to commercial lotions. The hard lotion bars turned out to be that alternative! I can use this type of lotion without the discomfort & the hives. One thing I found though… I find the ‘food’ scent annoying. That never occurred to me because I love chocolate & coconut… I gave most of that batch of lotion bars to family & friends who really enjoyed them. When I make the next batch I believe I’ll use refined coco butter & coconut oil so there won’t be a food scent to the lotion bars. I never liked using products with food scents before & found that I still don’t like it. What was I thinking? lol Anyway, I was thinking of using some essential oils to give the next batch a scent that is pleasing to me. (I love woody & floral scents!) My question is this: what proportion of essential oils would be good to use for a light, subtle scent? I want enough to be able to smell it but not so much that people who are sensitive to scents & fragrances complain that it’s over powering… One other question: I live in the deep south & you are correct about the lotion bars being soft at room temperature down here. How much should I increase the proportion of beeswax? Would 25% more be about right? Thanks for posting such practical & useful content.

Let your nose be your guide on the amount of essential oil. I’d probably start with around 10 drops per 12 ounces of other ingredients. Better too weak than too strong, and you can add more the next time around if needed.

20-25% more wax is probably a good starting point, or reduce the oil by half. Think about the melting points. The oils are your Achilles heal because they’re liquid at warm room temps. This makes the bar spread well, but makes them messy in the hear.

If you have a few minutes and could let me know how it turns out and what room temps you have (to help other dealing with the same thing), I’d appreciate it. There are thousands of lotion bar recipes out there, but most don’t talk about dealing with the heat.

Also, I don’t know if you spotted it, but another reader says she uses equal parts cocoa butter and shea butter – nothing else – to take advantage of their higher melting points. That would be a third option.

In my first batch I had used unrefined, virgin coconut oil & coco butter. That means they both retained their natural scent. When I make the next batch I’ll use the refined versions of those ingredients. When it’s refined the substance generally loses its scent. And I need to make adjustments to the proportions of the ingredients so that I can get a firmer lotion bar. In the hotter climate we have down here the lotion bars were softer than they should have been during the hot months. Luckily they weren’t rendered as soft as a cream or salve though. It’s just a matter of tweaking the recipe to account for our climate. Where I really needed the advice was how much essential oils to use to scent the batch. I’ve never made anything that used essential oils before & because good essential oils are expensive I wanted some guidance so as not to ruin a batch of lotion bars or waste expensive essential oils.

gotcha 🙂 that must be why the coconut oil I bought at the store the other day didn’t smell like coconut at all 🙁 Check out Plant Therapy for great essential oils <3 I've used oils in my bars, but don't feel like the oil was strong enough to really make a difference (used lavender) maybe something like tea tree, clove or Frankincense would be good, if you enjoy those scents. good luck!